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Fox to produce American ‘Human Tetris’ show

May 22nd, 2008 by James

The “human tetris” Japanese game show segment, which became a YouTube hit after Japan Probe posted about about a year ago, will be adapted to American television by Fox:

The network has given a series order to “Hole in the Wall,” the “human Tetris” game show whose foreign incarnations have become a YouTube hit.

In the show, participants contort their bodies to fit precut walls flying toward them on a track. If they don’t fit through shapes, they’re pushed off the track into a pit of water below.

“I think its success is going to be instantaneous,” said Fox entertainment president Mike Darnell, who has picked up 13 hours (which could be divided into 26 half-hours) for next season. “It’s as simple as it gets. It’s one of those shows I think is going to be very addictive. You think, ‘I’m not going to watch this,’ and a half-hour later you’re still watching it.”

Originally launched in Japan in 2006, it now screens in 16 territories, including Australia, Russia and Denmark. Clips of the show have been popular on YouTube, with its videos registering millions of user views each. The franchise is produced by FremantleMedia, the firm behind “American Idol.”

Do you think it will be better than the Japanese original?
View Results

[hat tip to Japanator]



Related Posts:
 

Aussie TV Copies Japanese Human Tetris

BBC buys rights to air ‘Tunnels no minnasan no okage deshita’ (human tetris)

More Human Tetris (w/ Choi Hong Man)

New Japanese TV Tetris Game Video

Japanese Comedian Plays Tetris


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14 Comments »

Comment by Kevin
2008-05-22 14:22:45

How could they have turned a bit segment on a comedy show into a full 30 minute program?!

The only thing that would make this show interesting for me is if the wall traveled at around 20 mph and was made of concrete.

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Comment by Montsan
2008-05-22 14:28:49

I’m also frightened as to how they’ll pad 15+ minutes of a 22~23 minute program. My money’s on reality TV-style interviews, slo-mo, and breasts (and I mean all of those in a very negative sense).

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Comment by doinkies
2008-05-22 14:35:58

I agree with Kevin…the original segment was just that, an amusing SEGMENT, not the focus of the show. This show will most likely be very doinky.

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Comment by Dr. Pepsi
2008-05-22 14:57:44

I’m getting really sick of American TV. I wish I could unplug and never hear about it again.

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Comment by MLV
2008-05-23 00:19:34

You wish? You can.

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Comment by feitclub
2008-05-22 16:10:26

This will only work if they include the two most important features of the original: comedic banter and occasional celebrity guests willing to make a fool of themselves. Good-looking women will help, but I remember seeing that Italian (I think?) version on this very site and it was incredibly boring because no one was saying a word.

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Comment by NPC
2008-05-22 17:04:52

When people say: “Boy I wish I could get this on American Television” They don’t mean: “Boy I wish I could have this completely re-done and crap-ofied” They mean: “I wish I could have this exact same Japanese program on American TV with professionally done subs”.

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Comment by Ami
2008-05-24 23:29:13

Thank you! Now tell that to the people at FOX.
Spike TV got it. And so did G4 with Sasuke.

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Comment by 131172
2008-05-22 21:40:03

Well, I never got into the reality craze sweeping across U.S. TVs for many years now. Knowing how funnily lame it will be done in the U.S. , it still beats the reality lameness.

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Comment by Xacur
2008-05-22 22:12:42

There’s a spanish versions of this show in Argentina and is just about to start another one here in Mexico.
Sometimes I do say “I’d like this kind of shows in Mexico” when I see one in Japan TV, but this is absolutely not one of those, this is just stupid like many other TV show in japan. Why they always tend to copy what is wrong and not what is cool and new?.

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Comment by Yihua
2008-05-23 08:47:27

..Jesus Christ. Really? When foreign shows/movies are converted to be “Americanized” its usually shitty.

It will be great for a couple of episodes, but than it will go downhill fast and stay there until they manage to gather some low class celebrities to go on this show, and shit starts to happen. Then a couple of weeks later, the show gets canceled.

Leave these kind of shows to the Japanese.

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Comment by morningstar
2008-05-23 10:19:38

I can’t wait to see the show on TV.

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Comment by Irene
2008-05-23 18:03:29

Actually this video clip was what led me to this website. :)
Personally I’m not really fond of this kind of shows though..
The comedy shows I usually watch (some already discontinued) are much better in my opinion, like uchimura-puroduce, uchimura-summers, etc.
If there’s a demand I could sub them or something, you should watch them.. uchimura summers is a ineternet-tv shown at http://miranca.com but here outside of Japan, we can’t watch it. :/

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